“It was great in New Zealand because there was sea-kayaking and caving and all that stuff. It was a lot of fun.” – American actor Tom Cruise.

Most of 2002’s Whale Rider was filmed on location in Whangara.

“For audiences, I think particularly in New Zealand, it gives us the chance to be inside the multi-culture and to feel the strengths of it and the importance of it and the beauty of it. And that’s an amazing feeling. There was no question that we would shoot in New Zealand. We couldn’t shoot anywhere else, but on that piece of land.” – director Niki Caro.

All three movies in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, from 2001 to 2003, were shot in New Zealand.

“We’ve seen a 50 percent increase in arrivals to New Zealand since Lord of the Rings.” – general manager of the Western long-haul markets for Tourism New Zealand Gregg Anderson.

East of Auckland, in the Coromandel Peninsula, was the scene of many takes for 2005’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

“In many ways, New Zealand is a fairy-tale country with the kind of locations that make your jaw drop.” – producer Mark Johnson.